Professor Mark Williams examines the neuroscience of mindfulness.Despite many of us living with material comforts, and having the potential for health and well being, there is still a tremendous amount of anxiety, stress, unhappiness, and depression in society. Professor Williams co-developed Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), a treatment for anxiety, stress and depression that is at least as effective as drugs at preventing new episodes of depression. It’s now one of the preferred treatments for depression recommended by the UK’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. The same technique, based upon an ancient form of meditation, can also help us cope more effectively with the relentless demands of our increasingly frantic world.